Play pen latch



March 22, 1960 C, G, HALLGREN 2,929,094

PLAY PEN LATCH Filed Feb. 27, 1957 ...www

United States Patent PLAY PEN LATCH Charles G. Hallgren, Winnebago County, Ill., assignor to National Lock Co., Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application February 27, 1957, Serial No. 642,887

1 Claim. '(Cl. 16-144) This 'invention relates to latches and more particularly to latches for use on childrens collapsible play pens for locking the pen side-rail sections in open or extended position.

The play pen side sections consist customarily of upper and lower rails and intervening vertically disposed bars. Each side is composed of two sections pivoted at their ends to the corner posts and pivotally or hingedly connected midway of the pen so that when the bottom of the pen is removed the whole structure may be collapsed for transportation and storage purposes.

The primary purpose of my present invention is to provide a latch applicable to the upper rail sections whereby these sections will be pivotally connected and will be automatically locked in extended or aligned position when the pen is opened up for use.

One of the features of my invention resides in the construction of the wings of the latch mechanism which, when assembled on the pen rail, provide overlapping portions adapted to be automatically engaged by a gravity actuated latch bar, so as to automatically lock the sides of the pen against collapsing.

Another object of my invention is to provide a latch of this character which will require no manual manipulation of any latch portion in order to effect the locking when the pen is extended for use, but which may be readily unlatched to permit collapse of the pen when desired, said unlatching being accomplishing without the employment of any tools and with the exercise of but slight strength.

A further object is to provide a latch of this character which will be disposed upon the outside of the pen and so constructed that it will be very difficult, if not practically impossible, for the child within the pen to unlatch it.

Other purposes and many of the attendant advantages of my invention will be appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. l is a fragmentary elevation viewed from the outside of the center portion of the upper rail of a play pen with my novel latch applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the latch shown in Fig. 1 but showing the latch wings in partially collapsed position;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 2 but with the latch wings in open or aligned posit-ion;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. l.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, reference characters 6 and 7 indicate respectively the top rail sections of a conventional play pen, the opposed ends of these sections being pivotally connected together by my novel latch in a manner which will hereafter appear.

The latch of my invention comprises a pair of latch wings 8` and`9 pivotally connected at 11 for relative swingingor hinge-like movement. The wing 8 comprises a horizontal base or hinge portion 12 from one side of which rises the upright plate portion 13 provided with openings for the reception of screws 14 by which this wing is secured to the outer face of rail section 6, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The wing 8 also comprises a horizontal arm 15 extending beyond the hinge pivot 11 into overlapping relation with the wing 9. The extreme corner of this arm, that is the corner which is disposed on the outside of the pen, is shaped to provide a cam surface 16 sloping upwardly from the extreme corner to the upper surface of the arm 15, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3. f

The wing 9 comprises the horizontal base portion 17 pivoted at 11 and an upright plate portion 18 provided with openings to receive the screws 21 by which this wing is secured to the outer face of the rail section 7. The upwardly extending portion 18 is bent outwardly or offset, as indicated a-t 19, Figs. 4 and 5, to provide alguideway 22 for the reception of the latch bar 23, which is adapted to slide vertically therein and to be normally gravity actuated into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 5.

The latch bar is provided at its upper end with a finger piece 24 by which it may be lifted from the full line position to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 5. In order to facilitate the engagement of this finger piece by the finger of an operator, the portion 19 of the wing is cut away to provide a finger opening 25 immediately beneath the extension 24, as shown lin Fig. 5.

While the wing 9 may be secured directly against the face of a rail section, as the wing 8 is, it is preferable to place a thin plate between the wing portion 18 and the rail section. Such a plate is illustrated in Fig. 4 and identified by reference character 26. The plate provides a backing for the latch bar 23 and forms an enclosed metal guideway for this member so that actuation of the latch will not wear or mar the wood of the rail 7. Furthermore, the closed guideway enables the assembly of the latch bar with the wing before shipment from the factory. To retain the plate 26 in association with the wing portion 18, the plate may be clinched around the screw openings in the upright portion 18 of the wing, as indicated by reference character 27 in Fig. 4.

When the collapsed play pen is opened and set up for use, the wings of the latch member will be swung from a position of substantial parallelism to a position of substantial alignment as shown, for instance, in Figs. 1 and 3. During this movement, as the wing 9 moves in a counterclockwise direction with reference to wing 8, viewing Fig. 2, the lower end of latch bar 23 will ride up the cam surface 16 and thereby be elevated so that the wings may be brought into longitudinal alignment, as shown in Fig. 3. When this position is reached, the latch bar will have passed beyond the outer edge of the extension 15 and will thereupon drop by gravity into the full line position of Fig. 5. Reverse pivotal movement of the wings is precluded by engagement of the extension 15 with the latch bar, consequently, the wings and the rail sections to which they are fixedly attachedy y l 2,929,094 l Y ...A

:A .latch for .a play vpen -having A.seimrate rail sections movable into and out of iongitudinal alignment, comprising a pair of pivotally connected latch wings and a manually releasable latchtbar, one of :said :wings :consisting o'f -fafhinge portion fand :an upright .plate'portion attached to the-outer face of fan end :portion:ofone` rail :section and 'fhaving an `offset providing :ra guideway for slidably receiving'land iguiding sai'd vlatch bar therein, the other wing consisting 'of an l`upright .plate portion l:attached-to the fface ofv the adjoining fiend :portion lof the other rail section-and a horizontal portion 'hingedly yconnected to said first fmentionedwwingfand including a horizontally extending farmtfdisposed v:beneath fsaidtlast mentioned rail section A`and-prositione'd 'tounderlie said -rst mentioned rail .section when rLsai'd rail'sections are disposed in Alongituidinal alignment, vfsaid arm y:provided with fcam means engaging the lower end of and elevating said latch bar into inoperative position as the pivotally connected rail sections and their latch Wings are being moved into longitudinal yalignment, 4with said `latch bar dropping lover and positioned vertically alongside the outer edge of said arm to provide a positive lock against pivotal retrograde movement of said wings, said latch bar being provided with a laterally and outwardly projecting finger piece and said offset provided withga finger opening below the nger piece whereby said bar may be manually withl drawn from latchiinglposition'by lifting said linger piece.

' "References yCited inutheliie of this .patent UNITED STATES PATENTS l 1,199,732 'Miller v Sept. "-26, '1916 '2,182,546 Raymond Dec. 5, 1939 2,798,249 Lkala July 9, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 

